In the pre-dawn hours, Brennan runs into the courtyard of Riorson House in Aretia, finding Violet and Imogen on the gravel. Violet is groggy, her thoughts slow, and Andarna vows she will not let “them” burn Violet, heightening Violet’s confusion. Celebration sounds come from inside the house, but Violet cannot recall how she arrived there after the battle.

A patrol led by a rider named Weilsen arrives and quietly reports to Brennan that four riders and their dragons, plus three elders, have been murdered in the valley within the last few hours, and five riders are missing—four now that Violet has reappeared. Weilsen blames Xaden Riorson for the killings, citing a display that implicates him, and adds that Draithus’s wards are holding. He also reports six missing eggs from the hatching ground, pending confirmation. Violet tries to reach Tairn but feels the bond is foggy; Andarna explains Tairn needs a cycle of rest to recover.

As Violet struggles to piece together events—remembering killing Theophanie and the overwhelming wall of shadows—Brennan dismisses Weilsen and asks Violet if she knows where Xaden is. Violet cannot think clearly. A parchment falls from Violet’s pocket; Brennan notes it bears Dunne’s seal. Violet also notices her left arm is splinted and a gold ring with a thumbnail-sized emerald on her ring finger, matching stones associated with the Blade of Aretia.

Brennan opens the parchment and reveals it is an official blessing from the head priestess of Dunne’s temple, confirming Violet’s legal, binding marriage. Shocked, Violet asks if it is to Xaden, and Brennan confirms. Violet reels at the realization that she is married and that she cannot feel Xaden through the bond. Brennan points out a note on the outside of the missive in Xaden’s handwriting: “Don’t look for me. It’s yours now.”

Violet’s panic grows as she contemplates the storm of shadows and wonders how far Xaden went. She cannot sense him, possibly because of distance, and her head remains hazy. She asks how long she has been missing and Brennan answers twelve hours. Violet then turns to Imogen with suspicion, asking what she did.

Imogen meets Violet’s eyes and says she did what Violet asked her to do. The implication is that Imogen used her signet to alter or suppress Violet’s memories or perceptions at Violet’s prior request, explaining Violet’s foggy recollection and the abrupt gap between the battle and her arrival in Aretia. The chapter ends on that admission, with Xaden gone, riders and dragons dead, eggs missing, and Violet’s marriage confirmed by divine authority.